


Guardian

by HunterusHeroicus93



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29856723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterusHeroicus93/pseuds/HunterusHeroicus93
Summary: Buck is having a hard time, and Eddie is there for him.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Guardian

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the song 'Guardian' by Aether Realm. It sums up their friendship perfectly.

Buck sat on his bed, not bothering to try to sleep anymore. The apartment was quiet. A little too quiet for his liking. The thoughts in his head were getting too loud, and he couldn’t ignore them anymore. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Almost four A.M. Too late to call anyone. He would just wait out the last few hours until his shift, and hope the work distracted him.  
  
***   
“Buck? Are you listening to me?” Eddie waved a hand in front of his face.   
  
Buck blinked and looked up. “Huh?”   
  
“I was… Never mind. Are you okay? You don’t look good.”   
  
“Didn’t get much sleep.”   
  
Eddie looked at him, but said nothing. What could he say? That Buck looked like he hadn’t slept at all in _days_? That he was worried about him? If Buck wasn’t ready to talk, he wasn’t going to, and there was nothing Eddie could do about that. Except be there for him. He patted Buck on the shoulder and sat down.   
  
“I was thinking about going out for a drink after work,” he said casually. “You wanna come?”   
  
Buck shook his head.   
  
“I think Chimney and Hen are coming. It’d be great if you joined us.”   
  
“I said ‘no’, Eddie,” Buck said sharply.   
  
“Right,” Eddie said. “Sorry.”   
  
Buck sighed. “It’s fine. I’m just tired.”   
  
“I know, man,” Eddie nodded. He _did_ know. He spent a lot of time being _tired_ after Shannon’s death. He was well acquainted with the feeling.   
  
The bell rang, and they were off for the second time that day. Buck heaved himself to his feet and headed down to the engine with the others, silently hoping this was going to be an easy job.   
  
It _was_ an easy job. Except it wasn’t. Not for Buck, anyway. His limbs felt like lead, and his head ached. It was a small house fire, contained within minutes, extinguished not long after. But climbing back into the engine afterwards felt like climbing Everest, and he collapsed into his seat.   
  
“Buck, you okay?” Bobby called from the front.   
  
“I’m good, Cap,” Buck said, sounding exhausted.   
  
Bobby and Eddie exchanged a glance, but said nothing more. They arrived back at the station and Buck quietly made his way upstairs. Bobby nodded at Eddie, and Eddie followed.   
  
He found Buck laying face-down on his bed, breathing hard. He walked over slowly, announcing his presence.   
  
“Hey, Buck? Cap wants to know if…” He wasn’t sure what to say, but Buck had turned sharply at the sound of his voice, then quickly looked away, so he gave up on formulating an excuse.   
  
“What’s wrong?”   
  
“Nothing,” Buck said, his voice cracking. He wiped a sleeve across his eyes and hoped Eddie wouldn’t notice.   
  
“Buck,” Eddie said softly. “You can talk to me, you know that? Whatever’s on your mind, you can tell me. I might not be able to help, but I can listen. You don’t have to be alone.”   
  
“Thanks, Eddie,” Buck sniffed. He sat up and scooted over slightly, making room for Eddie. Eddie sat, turning to face him.   
  
“So, talk.”   
  
“I… I don’t even know anymore. I lay awake at night, just thinking. About everything. My parents, Maddie, my b…” He stopped, choking back a sob.   
  
“Your brother,” Eddie finished for him. Buck nodded, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.   
  
“I think about Abby sometimes, too. Sometimes I miss her. I wonder what she’s doing, if she’s happy, y’know? And Veronica. _Veronica_. That date was horrible. But it’s just one more thing that I couldn’t get right. Someone else I let down.”   
  
“You know none of that was your fault, Buck. _None_ of it. Your parents were grieving. They didn’t know they were hurting you, too. And bad dates happen. Even to me.” Eddie grinned as Buck scoffed.   
  
“Yeah, right.”   
  
“I’m serious. There was this one, Jessica. Worst date of my life. She screamed at the waiter.”   
  
Buck laughed weakly. “Wow. That sounds like some date.”   
  
“It was a memorable one,” Eddie agreed with a grin.   
  
They sat in silence for a moment, except for Buck’s sniffling.   
  
“I’m always gonna be here for you, Buck,” Eddie said softly. He wrapped his arms around Buck’s shoulders and hugged him tightly.   
  
“Thanks, Eddie,” he said quietly.   
  
Eddie smiled. “We all need help sometimes.”


End file.
